MALKY ON WOLVES & THE WINDOW

31 August 2012

Mark Denham

Malky Mackay spoke on Friday morning ahead of Sunday's Championship fixture with Wolves, following a hectic summer of transfer dealings at Cardiff City Stadium.

Addressing City's weekend clash with Ståle Solbakken's side first though, the Gaffer said: "Wolves have brought in a lot of new players and have an experienced European manager who's played over here and is bringing his own style to put a stamp on the Club.

"They've brought in a lot of money in the past week as well of course and are in a stable position. I see them being right up there challenging come the end of the season.

"Bristol City isn't a game that we've lingered on. We didn't have a good day last Saturday - showed the horror-show to the players midweek and then put it to bed. The team that won the Championship last season were second from bottom in October. This is a forty-six game season."

In reference to the signing of Craig Noone from Brighton on Thursday, Malky added: "I was thrilled that we managed to get Craig in - again it was a deal that came about quite quickly.

"We tried to get him in January as someone who could really add to our group; we weren't able to get him then, but thankfully this week we could. He's training with us already, looked good, and will be in the squad for Sunday.

"I want good players at this club - players who can get on the ball and adapt to different situations. That's something that we lacked last season meaning that some players ended up playing over fifty games for the Club in one campaign. We needed strength in depth but also the right quality which is what we're doing."

And on the injury front, the manager clarified the fitness status of three of his first-team squad, saying: "Craig Bellamy has torn his calf. We thought there'd be a chance he could play on Sunday, but scans proved that he wouldn't make this one.

"It'll be at least Leeds in a fortnight's time that he'll be back, but like the other injured lads Stephen McPhail and Rudy Gestede, he's doing work to ensure he heals properly.

"It'll be Saturday then before we decide on Ben Turner's availability. He took a kick to the bottom of his foot which has brought about quite a bit of bruising and swelling so our decision will be last minute as the swelling has been worse than we thought. He'll be doing a little bit out on the training pitch Friday and Saturday, so after that we'll decide whether he's fit enough for the game."